(a) Name the compound CH3CH2OH and identify its functional group. (b) Give a chemical test to distinguish between ethanol and ethanoic acid. (c) Name the product formed when an organic acid reacts with an alcohol in presence of an acid catalyst. What is the name assigned to this type of reaction?
(a) Alcohol is a functional group which is bonded to alkyl or aryl chains. The structure of the alcohol functional group is $ R-OH $ . Similarly the given compound $ C{{H}_{3}}C{{H}_{2}}OH $ is ethanol, i.e. alcoholic functional group.. (c)Esterification reaction: When carboxylic acid reacts with alcohol, the product formed is known as an ester. Below is an example of the formation of an ester from the reaction of ethanoic acid with absolute ethanol in the presence of an acid as a catalyst. CH3COOH+C2H5OH−→−−−H2SO4CH3COOC2H5. (b) (i) Ethanol - Ethanol does not react with carbonates or hydrogen carbonates. CH3CH2OH+Na2CO3→NoReaction. Parameter- Reaction with hydrogen carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Parameter 2- Ethanol is a neutral compound and does not change the color of litmus paper. (ii) Ethanoic Acid- Ethanoic acid reacts with sodium bicarbonate as shown in the reaction below. CH3COOH+NaHCO3→CH3COONa+H2O+CO2. Parameter- Reaction with hydrogen carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. Parameter 2- Litmus paper test. Ethanoic acid turns blue litmus paper red, indicating that it is acidic in nature. It is a weak acid as it dissociates partially in aqueous solution. According to information explained in the above table, we conclude that ethanol and ethanoic acid can be differentiated based on melting point, litmus paper test, and sodium bicarbonate reaction.
